We have been hearing much about global warming and climate change recently and its negative impact on our planet and resident animals. Whether you believe the warming climate of our planet is a result of man or as a result of a naturally occurring cyclical warming trend, hotter, longer summers are a fact. Most of us are aware of how this warmer weather affects so much of our planet with melting ice caps and tragically, more animals entering our endangered species list. But the state of our planet is affecting even more then the Polar Bears. It is affecting fine wine.
When I first heard of award winning wines out of British Columbia and fine sparkling wines from England I new it had to do with the changing climate. My mother and father are from British Columbia and England and I am telling you during their lifetime there were no grapes growing and no wine being made- it was just too bloody cold! But things are a changing and for many wine makers it is serious cause for alarm.
Essentially what is taking place, is the sweet spot for growing grapes is moving north. And locations like California, Southern France and Southern Italy are experiencing such warm weather, industry leaders are very worried about their future ability to grow and produce wine varietals they have become known for, in a quality and style wine lovers have come to expect. The number of “hot wines” high in alcohol are becoming almost the norm. Big, jammy sometimes pruney wines have become synonymous with much of California, a result of over ripe fruit from very hot locations. Vintners are having to consider the change in climate as it affects the grapes best suited for any one area as well as making crucial changes in vineyard practices. Some experts think the glory days are waning for much of the more popular wine producing regions of California and Europe and one expert suggests an 80 percent reduction in producible land over the next 50 years!
So is it all bad news…? Of course not! There is a silver lining to every cloud. In cooler regions like Burgundy known for the fickle cool weather pinot noir they are rarely finding it necessary to chaptalize their wines -adding sugar during fermentation- to increase the alcohol. The warmer weather has taken care of that and that’s a good thing. For those of us in cooler weather locations like Oregon, particularly in the cooler Willamette Valley, wine makers have been quoted as talking about how easy the last decade or so of vintages has been in terms of ripening fruit. Even the rules for vineyard location and elevation has evolved. Higher elevations thought to be too high and too cool for quality grapes are now excellent for many varieties and an area thought only suitable for cool weather varietals such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Riesling are now looking to Grenache, Syrah and Tempranillo! Most Umpqua Valley wine makers think they are in wine heaven and live in the perfect wine paradise. The sweet spot for excellent wine production for sure. We have it all! Cooler areas for Pinot, warmer spots for Cabernet and the right climate for everything in between. Our 100 valleys lends itself to different climates, suitable to produce exceptional quality and diversity in our wines. Climate change is affecting us too but the uniqueness of our area allows us more flexibility. I am not at all happy about our warming climate and am brought to tears thinking of the serious affects of all this on our planet. I am just trying to stay positive. Becoming the new California known for our award winning Cabernet and exceptional Zinfandel would not be all bad.
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